The rise and fall of Trump's relationship with Mika Brezinski, the 'Morning Joe' co-host he just attacked on Twitter

Mika Brzezinski
Evan Agostini/AP
President Donald Trump made news on Thursday morning when he viciously attacked MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski on Twitter, calling her "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and said she was "bleeding badly from a face-lift."

Brzezinski shot back at the president on Twitter, posting a photo of a box of Cheerios that showed a child reaching for the cereal with the words "Made For Little Hands" printed across it.

Trump has long taken issue with accusations that his hands are small. Brzezinski called the president's hands "teensy" during her show, "Morning Joe," on Thursday morning.

But Brzezinski and her co-host and fiance Joe Scarborough have not always had a contentious relationship with Trump. During the early stages of his candidacy, the hosts invited Trump on their show regularly, boosting his campaign.

Here's a look back at the president's relationship with the co-hosts >

Brzezinski and Scarborough invited Trump on their MSNBC show, "Morning Joe," many times in the early months of the 2016 presidential campaign, acting as one of Trump's greatest media promoters. Trump thanked the two in February 2016 for being "believers" in his campaign.

Donald Trump jokes with Joe Scarborough on the set of 'Morning Joe' in January 2016
Scott Morgan/Reuters

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Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, had a particularly close relationship with Trump, which reportedly unsettled MSNBC staff, who found the chumminess between the candidate and both hosts "over the top" and "unseemly."

As Trump's campaign gathered momentum, the "Morning Joe" hosts became increasingly critical of his policies and rhetoric.

In the spring of 2016, Trump began lashing out at the two, tweeting in May that Morning Joe had become "hostile" and misrepresented his opinions. In June, Trump accused Brzezinski of going "wild with hate." In August, Trump said that he would "tell the real story" about Brzezinski and Scarborough's personal relationship, which had been the subject of widespread speculation. Trump targeted Brzezinski in particular, calling her "crazy" and "very dumb" and accused her of having a "mental breakdown" in a September tweet.

A few weeks after the presidential election, Brzezinski visited Trump Tower, reportedly to meet with Ivanka Trump about the MSNBC host's seminar series for women.

In February 2017, Brzezinski further escalated her criticism of the Trump administration, calling it a "fake presidency" and banning White House counselor Kellyanne Conway from appearing on "Morning Joe," arguing that Conway peddled "fake news."

In May 2017, the "Morning Joe" hosts announced their engagement, ending the years of rumors. Vanity Fair reported that Trump offered to officiate the couple's wedding, which he suggested be held at the White House or at his Florida resort, when they visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in January.